Controversial artwork damaged with crowbar

A woman has been charged with criminal mischief for allegedly damaging controversial artwork displayed at a Colorado museum.

The artwork, titled “The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals,” is a 12-panel lithograph by Stanford University professor Enrique Chagoya that includes comic book characters, Mexican pornography, Mayan symbols and ethnic stereotypes. According to the Associated Press, Kathleen Folden of Kalispell, Montana, allegedly used a crowbar to break the glass guarding the artwork and ripped one of the panels. The damaged panel depicts what many say is Jesus engaged in a sexual act with another man.

The work is part of an 82-print exhibit by 10 different artists. It opened in mid-September, but it wasn’t until this week that protestors began gathering outside the museum. The museum began receiving threats on Oct. 1. Since then, two police officers have been stationed there every day.

Some who are in favor of the artwork say censoring it would be a violation of the artist’s constitutional rights.